Reference material

About the Authority

The National Health Performance Authority has been set up as an independent agency under the National Health Reform Act 2011. It commenced full operations in 2012.

Under the terms of the Act, the Authority monitors and reports on the performance of Local Hospital Networks, public and private hospitals, primary health care organisations and other bodies that provide health care services.

The Authority’s reports give all Australians access to timely and impartial information that allows them to compare fairly their local health care organisations against other similar organisations and against national standards.

The reports let people see, often for the first time, how their local health care organisations measure up against comparable organisations across Australia.

The Authority’s activities are also guided by a document known as the Performance and Accountability Framework agreed by the Council of Australian Governments. The framework contains a set of indicators that form the basis for the Authority’s performance reports.

The Authority’s role includes reporting on the performance of health care organisations against these indicators in order to identify Local Hospital Networks, primary health care organisations and hospitals that are high-performing (so effective practices can be share) or performing poorly (so that steps can be taken to address problems). This reporting sheds light on the complex interplay of different parts of the health system, and of factors such as geography and socioeconomic status on health outcomes.